Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 46

So that was it. Was this really because of me? Did she only place twentieth in my past life because I didn't participate?

"That’s a ridiculous thing for Damon to say. By that logic, if no one else in our generation studied music, she could be number one in the world. If no one went into politics, she could become an empress! She wasn't good enough, so are the twenty people ahead of her supposed to just step aside for her?"

Lacey shot Mira a glare. "Your brother Damon said one thing, and you have a dozen retorts. Mara needs this competition to restore her reputation. You have to give your spot to her."

Mira lowered her head and continued to eat. After finishing half her meal, she finally looked up.

"Why should I care about the reputation of someone who tried to harm me?"

Thinking back to when Mara first arrived, Mira had helped her at every turn, only to end up creating an enemy. The memory left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Mira, you're sisters. Why hold a grudge?" Lacey pressed on.

"No grudge? You locked me in the basement for three days and three nights without a drop of water."

After saying her piece, Mira went back to her food.

Mara was dabbing at her eyes. "It's all my fault. My stomach was hurting, so I didn't perform well. If my sister won't give me the spot, then fine. I just won't participate. I'm just worried people will laugh at the Mercer family."

Lacey wiped Mara's tears, comforting her. "It's not your fault. You weren't feeling well."

"Give the spot to your sister, and I'll restore your allowance," Adrian said, figuring that she must have learned how hard it was to earn money by now.

"I'm not interested."

"Don't say that, dear. Even if you win first place, the prize money won't be enough to cover next year's tuition. Besides, Damon is going to be a judge in the finals."

"And? Does that mean he can play favorites and lower my score?"

The comment served as a reminder to Mira. She decided she would save the surveillance footage from today and show it to Damon before the finals.

"Mira, just give the spot to your sister. Her reputation is suffering because of what happened last time, and it's affecting the whole family. That's not good for you or for me."

[No, Mira, don't get the wrong idea. She was just upset and called me to vent.]

"She has a mother, a father, and four brothers, but she calls her future brother-in-law to vent? How strange!"

After all, Wesley was still technically Mira's fiancé. Although they weren't formally engaged, their parents had arranged it when they were children, and everyone still acknowledged it.

[Can you not be so difficult? She was just feeling down.]

"Oh, you're so compassionate. Then by all means, comfort her. It would probably be more effective if you held her in your arms, maybe held her hand, gave her a little kiss. But leave me out of it. I'm not giving my spot to anyone."

With that, Mira turned off her phone.

There were less than ten days until the finals, and nothing else particularly eventful happened. Mira dedicated all her energy outside of Taekwondo practice to honing her artistic talents. It wasn't because she wanted a career; it was to build her own reputation and gain supporters. Only when you were powerful enough would people not dare to mess with you. If trouble arose, more people would speak up for you, making everything easier in the future.

But when she came home the next day, Mara was at it again.